Christmas Challenger
by Vile.EXE
Summary: One-shot, post-Ultra Sun. Christmas Eve is a boring time for the Champion, Elliot, as he waits for a challenger. Will an unexpected face help his holiday?


**Vile: Hey, look at that! It actually didn't take me a month to upload something new! XP But on the real, even if my pace has slowed down to a freaking snail's pace, I am still doing work on stories in the meantime. These one-shots do help me get ideas out of my head, and this is one I had some time ago while playing Sun and Moon. The Gen 7 games have a lot of Type specialists in them, but there's one that was distinctly missing: Ice. Yes, there's Sina, but you only face her in the Moon versions, and Faba is already another Psychic specialist who does the job better than Dexio (who doesn't even get his second battle in the Ultra games). So I decided to come up with my own idea for an Ice-Type specialist, and what better way to show it off than the winter holidays? This story is based on the game continuity (specifically, UltraSun), just so you're aware. Enjoy, folks!**

* * *

Christmas Challenger

Snow drifted down from the night sky above, but thanks to the crystal ceiling, the snow merely created a film of frost while the rest kept falling across the rest of Mount Lanakila. Despite this, the snow caught the attention of the young Champion Elliot, as his brown eyes lazily stared up at the falling crystals while laying across the seat and armrests of his throne, arms behind his head. Due to the cold temperatures of this time of year, he had changed into a dark red coat, thick brown pants, and black shoes, but his signature hat remained over his black hair. A pair of gloves stuck out of the front pockets of his coat, but since he was indoors, he didn't feel the need to wear them. _'I never knew that the roof frosted over like that.'_ He thought to himself. _'Guess that shows how often I came here during winter these last 3 years.'_ Sighing, Elliot moved himself into a proper seating position and placed his elbows on his knees, chin in his hands. He blankly stared at where the staircase to his arena led to, no hint of anticipation for whoever would possibly come up the stairs.

At that moment, the RotomDex came out of Elliot's bag, floating in front of him. He immediately noticed his partner's downbeat attitude. "Are you okay, Elliot? You look deprezzzzzzzed. What's wrong?"

Elliot looked at his encyclopediac companion. "Why did we even come here today? It's Christmas Eve. No one ever challenges the Alola League at this time of year." He explained, giving Rotom an idea of his lack of mirth. "Schedule or no schedule, I should've known better."

"You do have a point. I admit I was overzealouzzzzz with the scheduling." Rotom replied. "It is approximately 7 PM. Let'zzzzz give it one more hour to be sure, then we can leave and be home for Christmazzzz morning. Does that sound fair?" Elliot was about to nod when…

"Hey, Elliot!" The chipper voice got Elliot and Rotom's attention, as neither of them were aware that someone had actually shown up to the arena. Turning to see the challenger, both of their eyes widened. The challenger was a girl of 14 years old like Elliot, dressed in a white winter coat that almost looked like a short dress, black gloves, black pants that almost seemed like tights thanks to her coat's length, brown winter boots with pale blue leg warmers around the ankles, a white knitted beanie with two light blue stripes to round it all out, a familiar white bag hung around her shoulder, and notably, a Z-Power Ring on her right wrist.

While the outfit was new to Elliot and Rotom, the long blonde hair, green eyes, the bag, and especially the smile to Elliot was unmistakable to them, even though it was a face he hadn't seen in a long time. "L… Lillie?" Elliot asked. The girl giggled and rushed forward, Elliot getting up from the throne with a smile to meet her halfway across the arena, the two friends sharing a tight hug after not seeing each other for so long.

"Zzzz-zzzzt! Lillie's back!" Rotom chirped happily, zipping around overhead.

Elliot and Lille finally let go of each other in order to see the other's smiling face. "It's been three years, Lillie! It's so nice to see you again!" Elliot chirped.

"I know, I missed seeing you and everyone else." Lillie replied. "But check this out!" She reached into her bag, rummaging around a bit, before pulling out a rectangular case and opening it. Arranged across the whole case was a set of 16 differently-designed trinkets, each of them having a slight gleam to them. "I managed to make it all the way through Kanto and Johto, and I got every Badge!"

Rotom zipped over and looked at the Badges. "Indeed! All Badges from both regions are prezzzzzent!"

"Wow. You really have turned into a great Trainer, Lillie." Elliot said, making Lillie giggle. At that moment, Elliot remembered where exactly they were, giving him a sneaking suspicion. "…I bet that's why you're here right now, isn't it?"

Lillie gave a small pout. "Oh, come on, Elliot. Am I not allowed to catch up with my friend? You didn't even know I was here for a month." Elliot sweatdropped in embarrassment, making Lillie laugh. "I'm just teasing you. You're actually right." She held up a passport that showed a full set of Grand Trial stamps. "I got back to Alola a month ago and managed to get through all the Island Trials and Grand Trials, and I just beat the Elite Four."

"…Why didn't you let me know that you WERE here?" Elliot asked.

"I wanted to surprise you. It is almost Christmas, right?" Lillie replied with a wink. "So for Christmas Eve, Elliot, I'm your challenger for the Alola League Championship!"

Elliot folded his arms, his smile turning competitive. "Well then, as Champion, there's no way I can refuse a challenge. Show me all that you've learned since then!" Lillie nodded, and the two took their positions.

 _'All the tips Gladion gave me, and all my own experience… They've come to this.'_ Lillie thought.

"Zzzz-zzzt! This is gonna be a great battle!" Rotom chirped, floating into the middle of the ring like some kind of referee. "Christmazzzzzzz Eve Championship match, Champion Elliot vs. Challenger Lillie!"

Elliot pulled out a Pokeball. "Might as well lead with my good friend! Decidueye, time for battle!" He threw the Pokeball and released the bipedal, cloak-feathered owl, who fluttered a bit before landing. Decidueye took notice of Lillie, and gave a bow to her.

"Nice to see you again too, but I can handle Grass-Types no problem!" Lillie chirped as she pulled out a Pokeball, actually making Decidueye raise an eyebrow. "Sandslash, you're on!" The Pokeball opened to reveal the Pokemon in question, specifically the Alolan version due to the ice spikes protruding from its back. Sandslash sharpened its claws against each other to show that it was ready for battle, Decidueye smirking and brushing part of its hood feathers out of its face.

"Both combatantzzzzzz are ready!" Rotom cried before raising both "arms". "Battle begin!"

"Sandslash, start off with Hail!" Lillie cried. Sandshrew crossed its arms as its body began to glow light blue, then it leapt into the air.

"Decidueye, Spirit Shackle!" Elliot commanded, his starter whipping out an arrow before taking aim and firing. The shadow-coated arrow struck Sandslash's arm and began to conduct the shadowy energy into it, but it didn't seem to do much as Sandslash simply shot out its arms, knocking the arrow away and causing an icy fog to surround the ceiling of the room, snow and hail falling from the fog as Sandslash landed. Some of the hail pelted Decidueye and caused him some damage. "Okay, this is not working out very well. Decidueye, return!" He held out his Pokeball and recalled the owl to its Pokeball. "I hate to be kinda unfair, but I got a bad start." He then pulled out an Ultra Ball. "Turtonator, time for battle!" The large turtle-like Pokemon emerged from the Pokeball and immediately turned its back to Lillie, protecting itself with its volcanic shell.

Despite staring at a Fire-Type, Sandslash didn't look scared at all. "This is what we made this strategy for, Sandslash. Use Aurora Veil!" Crossing its arms again, Sandslash got on all fours and caused a bright rainbow light to come from its spikes. Turtonator had to look away from the light, which then morphed into some kind of aura that surrounded the entire area around Sandslash.

"Aurora Veil… I don't remember that move." Elliot mused. "Rotom, look up that move real quick." Rotom saluted and started cycling through its data. "Meanwhile, I'll keep this battle moving. Turtonator, Flamethrower!" Turtonator turned its head around as fire began to build around its snout.

"Sandslash, quick, go in with Stone Edge!" Lillie commanded. As Sandslash rose its claws, the icy fog began to surround it, causing it to suddenly move much faster as it jammed its claws into the ground. Rock spires erupted from the ground before one of them sprung up near Turtonator, jamming it hard in its shell and actually grazing its right arm. Despite this, Turtonator regained focus and unleashed a stream of flames from its nose at Sandslash, but as the flames struck it, a faint rainbow aura covered its body, allowing Sandslash to actually shake off the Flamethrower, albeit while panting and having a few burn marks.

"Aurora Veil is amazzzzzzing!" Rotom chimed in. "Through the power of a hailstorm, it createzzzzzzz a barrier to reduce all incoming damage!"

"No wonder Sandslash hung in there. Normally Turtonator can one-shot those." Elliot mused, smiling. "I gotta say, that was a nice tactic, Lillie!"

"Me and my team worked hard to do this, especially for the one I'm using now." Lillie told him. "Throughout my journey, I realized that I did a lot better with Ice-Type Pokemon, and thanks to Lorelei, Pryce, and my brother, I learned some of the best ways to make an Ice-Type team of my own." She pumped both fists excitedly. "We even beat the Elite Four with the odds against us, so nothing's gonna stop us now!"

Elliot could feel her excitement from his side of the arena. "Then gimme your best shot! Turtonator, in position!" Turtonator nodded, steadying itself with its back turned, though a slight orange glow could be seen from the shell.

"Sandslash, Icicle Spear!" With the same quick speed, Sandslash quickly pulled something out from within the spikes on its back, setting it on the ground before quickly leaping into the air.

Rotom noticed the item. "Oh my! Lillie had an Icy Rock! Now the hail will lazzzzzt even longer than normal!"

Going into a rapid spin, needles of ice quickly began to shoot out like a machine gun. Due to the heavy damage it took from the super-effective Stone Edge (Sandslash packed a punch, Turtonator noted), the Icicle Spear pelting its shell still had a noticeable effect on it with each hit, making it actually stagger and hunch over with a pant. "Nice hit, Sandslash! It's on the ropes!" Lillie chirped as Sandslash landed and retrieved its Icy Rock. However, Turtonator slowly started to rise back up before looking back and grinning at Sandslash, its shell's glow becoming even brighter. "Huh?"

"Sorry, Lillie, but you just sprung my surprise!" Elliot said, snapping his fingers. "Engage Shell Trap!" Turtonator covered where its ears would be with a grin before its shell gave off a powerful explosion, sending out a wave of burning debris. Sandslash was caught completely off-guard and bombarded by the fiery shrapnel, knocked clean off its feet and forced to backflip before landing on its stomach, the smoke clearing to show it completely out cold with spirals in its eyes.

"Sandslash has fainted!" Rotom commented, gesturing to Elliot's side. "With a spicy Shell Trap finisher, Turtonator winzzzzzzz!" Turtonator let out a loud shout of victory, only for a small "honk" sound to come out of its snout midway through, startling it. Elliot couldn't help but laugh as Turtonator covered up its snout, an embarrassed blush on its face.

Sandslash was recalled to its Pokeball, Lillie smiling at it. "You did great, Sandslash. You deserve a rest."

"That was a pretty good start, Lillie. Switching out probably didn't help me, but Turtonator can usually handle Ice-Types." Elliot said, Turtonator shooting her a grin. "That setup, though? I can already tell you've learned a lot."

Lillie smiled brightly at Elliot's compliment. _'Even he knows how strong I've become…'_ "Aurorus, you're on!" She threw her Pokeball with a laugh, releasing a tall, quadrupedal dinosaur Pokemon with large sails on its head and neck, as well as ice crystals forming on its sides. The creature let out a loud cry as it took in the hailstorm above, which pelted Turtonator. "It should be low enough… Aurorus, use Hyper Voice!"

"Turtonator, Dragon Pulse!" Aurorus's ice crystals glowed brightly as it reared its head back for an attack. Turtonator took the opportunity to generate a ball of blue energy in its snout for an attack, but then the amargasaurus whined before letting out a loud scream. Waves of light blue energy traveled along the sound, each wave brimming with the same shimmer as the Hail fog above, striking Turtonator in the shell. The sheer cold energy coming off of the waves started to ice its shell, throwing off its concentration and stopping the Dragon Pulse, before Aurorus screamed even louder, cranking up the Hyper Voice's power and actually knocking Turtonator right off the ground, causing it to land belly up. It struggled to get up, but eventually just passed out.

"Turtonator has fainted!" Rotom cried, gesturing to Aurorus. "A loud and proud hit, Aurorus winzzzzzz!" Aurorus let out a happy cry, its sails swaying alongside its head.

"Good fight, Turtonator." Elliot said as he recalled his Pokemon. "It's 5 to 5, and this battle's nowhere near over. Wishiwashi, time for battle!" His next Pokeball, a Dive Ball, opened to reveal a tiny fish with wet-looking eyes, who looked around. Aurorus tilted its head with a quizzical noise, but Wishiwashi let out a squeak before its eyes lit up brightly. Out of nowhere, hundreds of fish that seemed to be made out of energy appeared and surrounded Wishiwashi in a bubble of watery energy, growing bigger and bigger before it finally burst, revealing a MASSIVE fish that was made out of hundreds of smaller fish. The giant fish moved its eyes down to look at Aurorus, who looked intimidated by it, but it simply let out a low, non-threatening growl as it lowered itself down to the dinosaur's level.

"A Water-Type… Don't worry, Aurorus, we trained for this!" Lillie told her Pokemon, Aurorus nodding with a cry. "Use Thunderbolt!" Electricity suddenly began to crackle from the gems on its side, traveling up the sails before Aurorus fired it at Wishiwashi. The giant fish was easily struck by the lightning due to being a huge target… but it didn't seem to be affected much at all, shaking off the electricity with an echoing growl. "No way!"

"Wishiwashi doesn't go down that easily! Use Aqua Ring!" Elliot said with a finger snap. Wishiwashi let out another low growl as the spots on its sides began releasing small droplets of water. The droplets came together and formed rings of water around its entire body, which began splashing water back over its body, patching up some of the injuries from the Thunderbolt.

"It can still work out in the end! Keep using Thunderbolt, Aurorus!" Lillie cried, Aurorus letting out another blast of electricity that struck Wishiwashi, but it just stayed in its spot, taking the Electric-Type attack like a champ.

"Earthquake, now!" Hearing Elliot's call, Wishiwashi shook off the Thunderbolt once more and slammed its body into the ground, sending white shockwaves across the entire battlefield and making the area shake. Aurorus began to shift nervously from the rumbling ground, but then the shockwaves of the quake converged on it, causing an eruption of energy underneath it. Aurora Veil covered it in rainbow light as the energy damaged it, preventing it from being hurt too much, but it still did a noticeable amount. However, as the attack ended, the rainbow light around Aurorus not only faded, but the light hovering around the fog faded as well. "Looks like Aurora Veil finally wore off. That should make things easier."

"Don't be too sure, Elliot! Keep those Thunderbolts coming!" Shaking off the shock from the quake, Aurorus let out another blast of electricity to zap Wishiwashi. It growled as the attack finally ended, but then remaining electricity coursed through its body, causing its movements to become sluggish and stuttered. "Yes! It paralyzed it!"

Elliot groaned. "Dang. I didn't expect that. Wishiwashi, can you try and use Hydro Pump?" The giant fish growled in reply and began to gather water particles into its mouth for an attack, but the electricity shocked the fish that made up its body, causing its attack to dissipate with a pained groan. "Gah… Not what I needed!"

"This is our chance, Aurorus! One more Thunderbolt!" Lillie cried. Electricity still sparking around its sails, Aurorus let out a loud cry and unleashed what seemed like its fiercest Thunderbolt yet, covering the giant fist with the damaging shock. Wishiwashi's groans became even louder as the electricity even seemed to evaporate the Aqua Ring around it.

"Such power! That wazzzzzz definitely a critical hit!" Rotom cried in awe. The Thunderbolt dissipated with a loud "CRACK", Aurorus panting from all the energy it used, but Wishiwashi slowly began to fall to the ground before its body turned back into a mass of watery energy. The fish-shaped bubble burst and scattered energy fish everywhere, returning Wishiwashi back to its normal form, floating on its side with no fight left in its eyes. "Wishiwashi has fainted! It was a powerful battle of attrition, but Aurorus once again winzzzzzz!" Aurorus let out another happy cry, its front legs actually lifting off the ground in joy.

Elliot recalled Wishiwashi to its Pokeball, smiling at it. "That was amazing endurance, Wishiwashi. You did great." He looked over to Lillie, who was hugging Aurorus happily. _'I always heard that Aurorus wasn't a very good Pokemon, but I'm being proven wrong pretty quickly. This is one of my best battles yet.'_ "I think it's time I brought my old friend back out! It's only fair since he didn't get much time on the stage." Tossing the Pokeball into the air, Elliot let out Decidueye once again, who brushed a bit of snow off of his hood feathers. Elliot waited until Lillie let go of Aurorus to give the order. "Decidueye, Steel Wing!" Crossing his arms, Decidueye rushed forward as his feathers began to turn into shining metal.

"Quick, Aurorus, Hyper Voice!" Hearing Lillie's voice, Aurorus built up icy energy from its crystals into its mouth, but as it opened its mouth, Decidueye leapt into the air, going high enough to actually clear Aurorus's head, only to dive down and swipe its iron wings across the dinosaur's body. Aurorus cried out in pain as it reeled from the doubly super-effective hit, its Hyper Voice turning into a cough before it toppled over (Decidueye landing on the side it wasn't falling on), its body slamming into the ground with no energy left. "Aurorus!"

"Aurorus has fainted!" Rotom cried, gesturing to Decidueye. "A pinpoint strike to the weakness! Decidueye winzzzzzzz!" The owl dusted off his wings like they were hands, then lightly pulled on his hood like he was tipping a hat.

"Return, Aurorus!" Lillie said as she recalled her Pokemon. "You were a real underdog, but you did great, Aurorus. I'll keep going from here." As she put the Pokeball away, however, the icy fog above the battlefield began to thin out before finally vanishing.

"The Hail from earlier hazzzz ended. At least it couldn't get any chillier in here." Rotom mused, attempting to cover himself up with his arms. "Thank goodnezzzzzzzz for internal temperature control."

"I kinda needed that. Guess I know who to use next." Lillie mused as she pulled a Pokeball out of her bag. "Abomasnow, you're on!" The Pokeball opened to let out a large white creature resembling a humanoid snow-covered tree, with green hands, green feet, and a green tail. As Abomasnow stood up from an admittedly shaky landing, it took a deep breath before letting out a large icy breath into the air, which created even more icy fog above the battlefield.

Elliot nodded in understanding. _'Abomasnow has Snow Warning, which immediately causes a hailstorm when it enters a battle. No wonder it's such a common pick for Ice teams.'_ "Decidueye, lock it in with Spirit Shackle!" Drawing the bow string on its hood again, Decidueye readied another feather arrow before launching it, the arrow nicking Abomasnow on the side before looping around with a dark aura and striking its shadow, briefly giving Abomasnow a dark aura. "Hope you planned on keeping Abomasnow out, Lillie, because Spirit Shackle prevents you from switching it out anymore."

Lillie made a small pout. "I have confidence in my Pokemon, Elliot. Abomasnow, Ingrain!" A green glow came from the tree's eyes before it stomped both feet, roots coming out of the feet and digging into the arena's floor. Somehow, nutrients traveled through the roots into Abomasnow's body, causing the nick from Spirit Shackle to be patched up somewhat.

"Well, I didn't expect that." Elliot mused, the hail knocking on Decidueye's head again. "Guess we'll have to do more damage than it can heal. Use Steel Wing, Decidueye!" The owl's feathers became hard as iron again before it rushed forward and slammed both wings into its chest, slashing it with all of its feathers and inflicting a good amount of damage.

"Don't worry, Abomasnow. Everything's gonna be OK!" Lillie told her Pokemon, who nodded. "Let loose the Blizzard!" Crossing its arms, Abomasnow took a deep breath before unleashing a powerful storm of wind and snow from its mouth… into the air. The blizzard began sweeping up the Hail fog above, causing it to grow in size and intensify before storming down across the battle. Decidueye looked back and forth, looking for a way to avoid it, but the blizzard had essentially become a wave with no chance of avoidance, striking Decidueye and bombarding it with ice and snow. The owl flew out of the storm, staggering yet somehow managing to stay on its feet, panting heavily, which was not helped by more Hail pelting it.

Elliot groaned, seeing his starter on the verge of being beaten. "I was not expecting to be in this position right now, even if I'm against an Ice-Type." He mused. "I guess I don't have a choice! Decidueye, you ready?" Decidueye nodded, reaching inside its feathers and revealing a green crystal hidden within.

"A Z-Crystal!" Lillie realized.

Elliot crossed his arms, his Z-Power Ring flashing with rainbow light before he moved his arms to his sides. "Crystal of Pokemon power, awakened by our bond…" Pointing his arms forward briefly, he then knelt down while slowly raising his arms like a ghost trying to be spooky, an eerie moan being heard the whole time, before making a "BOO!" pose. "Z-Move, unleash!" A flash of power erupted over him before energy gathered into Decidueye's body, making its eyes flare up before it shot into the air, spreading its wings and surrounding itself with its own arrows.

 _ **Z-MOVE: SINISTER ARROW RAID**_

Swooping across the air, Decidueye angled itself to dive down toward Abomasnow, the arrows trailing behind it with dark auras covering all of them. A twinkle appeared in Decidueye's eye before it got near Abomasnow only to pull up at the last second, striking the tree in the chin, but Abomasnow only recovered long enough to see the barrage of arrows strike its body and its shadow rapidly, the ghastly aura making the arrows generate a dark explosion that engulfed it. "Abomasnow!" Lillie cried out as Decidueye landed, having to steady itself with one wing. It looked back to see the darkness clear, revealing Abomasnow out cold, its Ingrain roots having withered.

"Abomasnow has fainted!" Rotom announced, pointing to Decidueye. "The power of the Z-Move reigns supreme once again! Decidueye winzzzzzz a second time!" Decidueye gave a bow.

Lillie recalled her Abomasnow, noting that she was now down to half her team, but then she heard Elliot let out a breath. "That is the earliest I've ever been made to use a Z-Move in battle, but the setup you were going for could've easily wrecked me if I didn't act quickly." He grinned at her. "You're down one Pokemon, but I don't think you're truly done yet, are you?"

The blonde girl clenched her fist. "No way! I've got plenty left!" She said confidently and a little defiantly, pulling out a Pokeball. "Weavile, you're on!" The Pokeball opened to reveal a bipedal gray weasel Pokemon with sharp white claws and several bunches of red feathers, including a ring around its neck, small feathers near its ears (indicating it was a girl), and a crest on top of its head. Weavile plucked a feather out of her head and held it in front of her like a rose, seemingly admiring it before making a "Bring it" gesture to Decidueye. The owl got back into battle position, but more Hail pelted it, making its existing pain worse. "One hit should be able to finish it! You know what to do, Weavile!" Weavile nodded before generating blue energy in her mouth, blowing a glowing stream of icy wind into the air, causing the Hail fog itself to glow.

"One hit, huh? Then we'll go out in style!" Elliot said. "Use Brave Bird!" Decidueye let out a loud hoot as it spread its wings, its entire body glowing light blue, before it charged forward with its wings held behind it and the glow becoming a flaring aura.

"Wait for it…" Lillie said, Weavile holding out her feather as if wanting Decidueye to take it. However, as it got closer, Lillie shouted. "Now!" Weavile quickly stepped aside with a spin, moving her feather along the spin like a matador's cape and making Brave Bird miss completely, startling Decidueye. "Now, Icicle Crash!" Decidueye came to a stop and looked back at Weavile, who now had the feather in her mouth. The weasel giggled before pointing up, making Decidueye look up only to see numerous icicles floating above, generating from the glowing icy wind. Decidueye gulped and looked back at Weavile, his face in characteristic and comedic fear, only for Weavile to wave bye-bye to him before giving a thumbs-down. When she did, the icicles began falling from the sky, smashing into Decidueye from above and essentially burying him in an avalanche. Weavile walked over and began digging through the snow before pulling Decidueye's head out by his hood feathers, his eyes having been reduced to spirals.

"Decidueye has fainted!" Rotom announced, pointing to Weavile. "An elegant dodge into an equally-pleasing finish! Weavile winzzzzzzzz!" The weasel spun around before curtsying, then she pulled Decidueye out of the snow completely and waved to Elliot.

Elliot nodded at Weavile before recalling Decidueye. "I gotta say, of all Pokemon for you to use, I didn't expect Weavile." He said.

"Gladion gave her to me as an Egg." Lillie replied. "I was unsure of using a Dark-Type at first, but she's been with me through a lot, and now I'm glad we became friends." Weavile took her feather and tossed it to Lillie, winking to her Trainer.

The exchange made Elliot smile. "I can definitely see how strong your bond is. Let's see some more! Lycanroc, time for battle!" He threw another Pokeball, a Cherish Ball, which released a quadrupedal wolf Pokemon, but unlike most Lycanroc, this one had bright orange fur, as well as a crescent-like portion of its fur in addition to rocks around its neck giving its front a starburst shape.

"Ah! That Lycanroc! I remember him!" Lillie chirped, smiling at the wolf. "I always wondered how that kind of form happened. You doing alright, Lycanroc?" The wolf saw Lillie and gave a happy bark, his tail wagging and making her laugh.

Elliot couldn't help but laugh as well. "He may be evolved, but he'll always be a puppy at heart. A feisty puppy, that is! Lycanroc, Stone Edge!" Lycanroc howled before slamming the ground with his front paws, his eyes glowing bright red.

"Quick, Weavile, Brick Break!" Lillie cried, causing her Pokemon to quickly dash forward as rock spires erupted from the ground. Rather than simply run through them, Weavile actually jumped off them to get some air speed before soaring toward Lycanroc with her left claw glowing white, slugging him right in the cheek. However, Lycanroc's eyes flashed red again before he pushed her off him… right back in the fray of the rock spires, which glowed brightly before exploding, barraging her with rubble.

"Oooooh, that was nasty! That muzzzzzzt have been a critical hit!" Rotom said while recoiling. Weavile was staggering heavily as the dust settled, looking like she was about to fall over at any moment… but then, as she was able to fall over, she stomped her foot on the ground to steady herself, looking up with a defiant look as she wiped something off her mouth. "Amazzzzzzing! Weavile is still capable of battling after that!" Weavile flashed her teeth again before showing something on her right arm: A yellow-and- red band tied tightly around the wrist. "I see! It was a Focuzzzzzzzz Sash's power, preventing even the most powerful attack from taking her strength in one shot!"

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Lillie?" Elliot wondered to himself, low enough so Lillie couldn't hear him. "I may be forced to use him at this rate…" He adjusted his hat before speaking out loud. "Impressive Brick Break, Lillie. Lycanroc, show her your own!" Despite being pelted by Hail, Lycanroc shook it off and rushed forward, both his front paws glowing white.

"You want a clash, huh? Let's do it, Weavile!" Lillie shouted, Weavile snapping her claw before both of them glowed white. The two Pokemon charged at each other and clashed their glowing claws against each other, both of them struggling to overpower the other. The red glow in Lycanroc's eyes was fierce as he began to push Weavile back and gain dominance in this struggling, clearly making the Dark/Ice-Type sweat bullets, but then her face changed to an expression of surprise, then a smile. Just as Lycanroc was able to give a final push, Weavile suddenly jerked her hands to the side, throwing Lycanroc completely off-course as she twirled to the side on one foot, flawlessly transition to slamming both her glowing claws on Lycanroc's back. The sheer impact along with the super-effective damage was enough for the hit to make Lycanroc's legs slide out from under him, his stomach hitting the floor with only a hiss coming from his slammed-shut mouth. The orange wolf groaned and whined as he tried to recover from the hit, Weavile backing off to give him space, but he merely let his tongue hang out of his mouth as the fight left his body.

"Lycanroc has fainted!" Rotom announced, pointing to Weavile. "The clash of the Brick Breaks has decided it! Weavile winzzzzzz again!"

"All right! Way to go, Weavile!" Lillie chirped, Weavile letting out a breath before giving another curtsy.

Elliot recalled Lycanroc to its Pokeball, smiling at it. "Take it easy for now, Lycanroc." He then went for the two remaining Pokeballs containing Pokemon that could battle. He initially touched a purple one, but he just stared at it for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't want this to be too unfair. If I have to use him, he'll be my last defense." He grabbed the Net Ball and tossed it up. "Vikavolt, time for battle!" The Net Ball released a large bluish-green beetle with robotic-looking eyes and two massive pincers with glowing yellow insides. "Use Bug Buzz!" Its wings began to glow green as it began generating a low buzzing noise.

"Weavile, Icicle Crash!" The weasel hid her mouth with her arm before blowing another glowing blizzard into the air, forming more icicles up above. Vikavolt merely continued generating the buzzing, its wings glowing even brighter, but Weavile swiped her arm down, causing the icicles to fall out of the sky toward their target. However, Vikavolt merely stared at the incoming attack before quickly shifting back and forth, dodging each and every icicle as they crashed into the ground. When the last icicle fell, Vikavolt shifted once more and lined up itself up with Weavile, and with a loud screech, the buzzing suddenly made the glow turn into a powerful green sonic wave. The wave caught Weavile off-guard and struck her dead center, knocking her across the arena while bombarding her ears, Weavile landing in a heap on the ground with spirals in her eyes.

"Weavile has fainted!" Rotom shouted, pointing to Vikavolt. "The curse of lacking accuracy strikes again! Vikavolt winzzzzzzz!" The beetle let out a happy high-pitched buzz, wiggling around in the air.

Lillie recalled Weavile to her Pokeball, but her hand was actually shaking. "2 against 2… A battle down to the wire." The widest grin that Elliot had ever seen on her face appeared, and she pumped both fists. "This is what I'd hoped for! To show you that I could become just as strong as you, Elliot!"

Elliot nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah, you've shown me a kind of battle that I haven't had in a long time. I always wondered what it would be like to see you as a true Pokemon Trainer, and I was not disappointed. You are incredibly strong… and yet you're still just as cute as ever." He gave a light laugh.

If Lillie wasn't covering her mouth while laughing herself, he might've seen a blush on her face. "Thanks, Elliot. That means a lot to me." She told him. "After everything you've done for me, to hear that you like how far I'm come… I feel happier than ever!" She pulled out a new Pokeball, but like most of Elliot's, it wasn't a regular Pokeball: It was a Luxury Ball. "This Pokemon, the first that I ever caught myself… She's been with me through everything, and now she'll help me here! Keko, you're on!" She threw the Pokeball, which opened with gold sparkles and let loose the Pokemon within: A fox Pokemon with pale blue fur with prominent curls, big blue eyes, and most notably, nine long, flowing tails with white tips with thick enough fur that they almost seemed to be one giant tail. An Alolan Ninetales.

"Oh yeah, I remember her. I saw her back when she was still a Vulpix." Elliot mused, but then he noticed that the fox was wearing a collar, a crystal visible on the front. Squinting to look at the crystal, he recognized it with wide eyes. "…The Icium Z-Crystal! You still have it!"

Lillie nodded. "Mm-hmm. When you sent it and this Z-Power Ring to me for Christmas after I left, I immediately gave it to Keko. She's had it ever since, and thanks to her Z-Move, we've gotten through more battles than I can count." Ninetales let out a cry of agreement, her tails swishing. "And now you'll see what we've become!" The fox generated icy wind around her tails before firing it into the dissipating Hail fog above, causing it to return to its original thickness.

"Interesting! Alolan Ninetales has Snow Warning as well!" Rotom realized. "It appearzzzzzzz that this Hail may never end!" Vikavolt let out a disapproving buzz, with the Hail merely pelting it like any other non-Ice-Type.

"Well then, let's not stop this battle! Vikavolt, use Thunder!" Shaking off the hail, the beetle generated electricity around its mouth before rising into the air, conducting the electricity down its pincers, and firing it off as a powerful lightning strike.

"Keko, Aurora Veil!" The Ninetales crossed her front legs before letting out a howl, her tails glowing with rainbow light before surrounding her in an aura of the light. Thunder still struck her, but it didn't do that much damage, Keko merely shaking off the lightning. "Now use Blizzard!" Taking a deep breath, Keko fired off a massive blast of snow and wind that merged with the Hail fog around the arena, becoming an inescapable storm that bombarded Vikavolt, causing it to backflip in mid-air before righting itself, only to get pelted by more Hail.

"Even Vikavolt's Thunder didn't do as much as I'd hoped…" Elliot mused. "Then we'll have to go above and beyond. Vikavolt, Charge!" Vikavolt let out a low buzz before snapping its pincers together, which began to glow a bright yellow as electricity crackled across them, spreading to across the beetle's entire body and electrifying it.

"Vikavolt's Charge is building! When it uses another Electric-Type move, it will really hurt, zzzz-zzzt!" Rotom noted. "In addition, Rotom's Special Defense is boosted! Another Blizzard may not be enough to defeat it!"

Lillie gulped. Even with Aurora Veil active, a Charge-boosted Thunder could easily do a lot of damage to her Ninetales. "The only Pokemon I have left wouldn't be able to take that kind of power, either…" She clenched her fist. "We don't have any choice, Keko! It's now or never!" Keko nodded, the Z-Crystal on her collar flashing.

'Here it comes!' Elliot realized.

Lillie crossed her arms, her Z-Power Ring flashing with rainbow light before she moved her arms to his sides. "Crystal of Pokemon power, my gift that I give back…" Pointing her arms forward briefly, she then pointed her arms upward at diagonals near her head three times, the sound of freezing being heard, before she held her arms out to her sides. "Z-Move, unleash!" She pointed both arms forward, and a flash of power erupted over her before energy gathered into Keko's body, making her eyes flare up.

 _ **Z-MOVE: SUBZERO SLAMMER**_

Keko howled loudly as the Z-Power within her froze the ground under her feet, growing a large spire of ice that carried her into the air. Once she was high enough, she opened her mouth and unleashed a powerful beam of freezing energy, sweeping it across the ground and leaving a trail of ice before finally focusing it on Vikavolt. The beetle was completely encased in ice, the beam causing the ice to grow even larger and become a massive ball of spikes, but then large cracks formed across it all before the ice exploded violently in a cloud of freezing mist. Elliot had to shield his face from the cold explosion, thankful he had bundled up. When the explosion finally cleared, Vikavolt was lying belly-up on the ground, its eyes showing X's. "Vikavolt has fainted!" Rotom announced, pointing to Keko. "A chilling yet beautiful Z-Move finish! Keko the Ninetales winzzzzzz!"

Keko let out a loud cry of victory as Lillie ran over, hugging her trusty fox. "That was great, Keko! There's only one Pokemon left!" She said happily, Keko nuzzling her. "We're gonna win this battle for sure!"

"Don't be too sure, Lillie." Elliot said, getting her attention as he recalled Vikavolt. "You did well to get me down to my last Pokemon. But variance alone isn't what kept me as the Champion for so long. If you really want to take my place on the throne… you're going to have to overcome the strongest challenge in Alola. A Pokemon that's been with me through the worst as well." He pulled out his last Pokeball and held it in plain view: A Master Ball.

Lillie gasped upon seeing the Master Ball, and it immediately clicked with her. "You mean…"

Elliot nodded, gripping the Master Ball. "He'll be happy to see you again! NEBBY! Time for battle!" He threw the Master Ball up into the air, which shook violently before releasing a powerful surge of energy that took the form of a starburst before striking the ground. Upon impact, the energy solidified into the Pokemon within: A giant, metallic white lion with a mane in the shape of the sun, a gold starburst around his face glowing brightly before the glow faded. His eyes opened within the starscape that made his face before he let out a loud, powerful, echoing roar.

Awe covered Lillie's whole face as a smile came upon her, one of remembrance and pride. A small tear fell from her eye. "…Hey, Nebby. Do you remember me?" The Solgaleo looked down at her, and to Lillie and Elliot's amusement, Nebby's tail began wagging as it gave a smaller, happier roar. "I almost forgot how much you'd grown. Look at you now. You're part of the Champion of Alola's team!"

"I almost didn't use him, since I thought he would've been too powerful to overcome." Elliot admitted as he walked up beside Nebby. "But when the time came, I asked him if he wanted to stand by me as the Champion, and he said yes without any hesitation." Nebby nuzzled him after he said that, making him laugh and pet his metal mane. "Nebby's been beaten a few times, but thanks to the power he gave to my team, I haven't lost a single battle as Champion." He and Nebby looked back at Lillie. "And now you get to see what Nebby can do firsthand. You ready to face a Legendary Pokemon?"

Lillie was silent for a moment, too busy feeling proud of the Pokemon she once raised become such a prominent figure, but she then wiped the tear off her face and nodded. "I'll give it all I've got! Keko, return!" She returned the Ninetales to its Pokeball before pulling out another one. "Lapras, you're on!" The Pokeball opened to reveal a large blue plesiosaur-like Pokemon with a delicate face and a large gray shell on its back, the creature letting out a soft cry.

Nebby let out a grunt, stomping one claw on the ground. "Then let's do this! Nebby, Zen Headbutt!" The Solgaleo growled as purple energy began emanating from its head, manifesting into an orb of the energy, before it charged forward and struck Lapras right in the shell, Aurora Veil appearing to shield it from much of the damage. Lapras did recoil from the hit, but quickly shook off the impact.

"Lapras, use Waterfall!" Lillie ordered. The aquatic creature slammed its flippers on the ground as water began to generate underneath it, and it charged forward as if climbing up a waterfall, striking into Nebby's mane. Like the Zen Headbutt, though, Nebby quickly shook off the hit, though the Hail did deal a bit of damage to it as well.

"Darn this Hail… Use Zen Headbutt again!" Elliot said, Nebby going in for another shot and hitting the mark, again not doing as much damage thanks to the Aurora Veil. This time, however, Lapras recovered from the attack and looked fearful. "All right, we got a flinch!" Nebby grunted in approval, looking up and seeing the Hail fading from the battlefield. "Okay, the Hail's gone, and since Aurora Veil was used right after it, we've got a chance to turn this around. Go in with Sunsteel Strike!" Narrowing his eyes, the red areas of Nebby's mane turned yellow as a third eye opened on his forehead, then he let out a roar as his body began to glow an even brighter white. Leaping into the air, the Solgaleo unleashed a powerful surge of energy that took the form of a miniature sun, casting down a beacon of orange light that surrounded Lapras. Nebby then stared straight at it before charging down the beacon, his mane being set ablaze, and impacting Lapras from above like a meteor, causing a powerful surge of the solar energy.

The dust from the attack was cleared by Nebby jumping away from the impact site. Lapras was still awake, but it was panting heavily, its head bobbing a bit from its weakness. "Oooooooh! Even through the Aurora Veil, that looked like it hurt!" Rotom commented. "Sunsteel Strike must've delivered a critical hit!"

"But how? Lapras had Shell Armor! It should be immune to critical hits!" Lillie cried.

Elliot, however, chuckled. "Did you forget how Sunsteel Strike worked, Lillie? The move ignores the effects of the target's ability, so even a Pokemon with Shell Armor can take a critical hit from it!" Nebby gave a small roar in agreement.

A groan came from Lillie. "I can't believe I forgot about that… but Lapras can still fight! Use Earthquake!" Letting out a defiant cry, Lapras slammed the ground with its flippers, sending out white shockwaves that converged on Nebby as the ground shook, the energy erupting under him and causing him to stumble backwards. He quickly shook it off, though, and saw the rainbow light of Aurora Veil fade away.

"Now's our chance!" Elliot cried, Nebby nodding. "Unleash the Superpower!" Nebby's claws dug into the ground as a low growl rumbled from his chest, and light blue energy began to form across its entire body, bulking up its legs. Then, the Solgaleo let out a loud roar before leaping into the air and bearing down once again, slamming both claws into Lapras's shell and causing it to let out a loud cry of pain. Lapras was actually knocked back from the impact, Nebby panting from the amount of energy that attack took, but as the Water/Ice-Type's head shook away wearily, its body finally plopped to the ground before its head followed suit, no fight left in its eyes.

"Lapras has fainted!" Rotom announced, pointing to Nebby. "Keeping up the pressure until the final moments! Nebby the Solgaleo winzzzzzzzz!" Nebby let out a triumphant roar.

"Amazing work, Nebby!" Elliot chirped. "It's down to the final stretch!"

Lillie recalled Lapras to its Pokeball, and took out Keko's Luxury Ball. "Yeah… one Pokemon left on each side." She gripped the Pokeball tightly. "Do your best, Keko… Let's show Elliot what you've GOT!" She threw the Pokeball and sent out her icy fox once more, who let out a loud cry as her Snow Warning ability reformed the Hail fog above. "Use Dark Pulse!" Narrowing her eyes, Keko opened her mouth and formed a ball of dark energy, firing it off as a large ring that washed across the battlefield. The ring struck Nebby right across the face, bombarding him with hidden negative energy, actually causing him to stumble a bit before he righted himself.

"Return fire with Metal Burst!" Elliot ordered. Nebby grunted with glowing eyes as his entire body began to take on a metallic sheen, any injuries inflicted from Dark Pulse seemingly being set ablaze. Then, the lion opened his mouth before firing a powerful blast of light in the form of an orb, striking the Ninetales back with all of the damage it had just inflicted, with interest. The Hail pelted Nebby once more, making him shake his mane and pant heavily, just as Keko was.

"Both Pokemon could go down with just one more attack each…" Rotom noted, looking back and forth between them. "Who will get the final attack?"

Elliot and Lillie looked at their Pokemon, unsure how much more they could take, but then they made eye contact with each other. Elliot could see the strength within her eyes… but there was something else he could see. Fear, maybe? Her eyes did have a slight quiver to them, almost like she wasn't sure of something. Meanwhile, Lillie saw the result of Elliot's journey in him: An unflinching gaze that wouldn't back down from any challenge, but still soft with empathy and friendliness. Things seemed to go dead silent, becoming a standoff between first capture and Legendary… and then Elliot spoke. "If this battle's about to end… Let's end it right!"

"What do you mean, Elliot?" Lillie asked.

Elliot answered by holding up a hand and snapping his fingers. "RotomDex, activate Roto Boost!"

Hearing the command made Rotom's eyes light up, and he saluted with his arm. "RotomDex at your service, zzz-zzzt!" Flying over to above Nebby, his screen displayed a picture of a figure gaining power before an orb of energy formed from his screen. The orb hovered over the Legendary before exploding, causing power to coarse through the Solgaleo's body and make him roar suddenly. "Nebby's stats have all been increased!"

"Good! Now I need one more thing, Rotom. A big thing!" Elliot told him, making his partner look at him curiously. "Activate Z-Rotom Power… for both me AND Lillie!"

"For both of us?!" Lillie cried in shock.

"WHAT?!" Rotom shrieked, flailing his arms. "B-B-But, I've only been able to give you the boost, Elliot! I d-don't know if I can do a double boozzzzzzzzzt!"

Elliot placed a hand on top of Rotom, stopping him from spazzing out, and gave him a smile. "Just do the best you can. You're strong, too, just like me and Lillie, right?" He looked over and winked at Lillie as he said this.

His wink made Lillie giggle. "Yeah, you can do this, Rotom!" Even Keko let out an approving cry, Nebby giving Rotom a playful nudge.

Looking back and forth, Rotom eventually gave a determined. "Okay… Here goezzzzzz!" He cried before floating to the center of the arena. Crossing his arms, Rotom began building up as much energy as he could, his eyes beginning to take on a rainbow sheen. "Z-Rotom Power, engage… FULL FORCE!" He shot his arms out and unleashed a powerful burst of rainbow energy that washed over the entire arena, making both Elliot and Lillie's Z-Power Rings shine brightly for a moment. The energy eventually calm down, causing Rotom's flight to become shaky enough that he had to fly toward Elliot and be caught, but he was able to see a flash from both of their Rings. "Heheh… Z-Rotom Double Boost… successful."

"I knew you could do it." Elliot said, placing Rotom in his coat pocket to rest before looking at Lillie. "All right, Lillie. This is going to decide the battle. Come at me and Nebby with one more Z-Move. Show me Keko's power again! Whichever Pokemon is still going is the winner!" Nebby grunted in agreement, motioning to Lillie to come at him.

Running on adrenaline and excitement, Lillie nodding. "Okay! We'll put all we've got into this!" She crossed her arms again with a flash of her Ring, as well as a flash of the Icium Z. "Crystal of Pokemon power, my gift that I give back…" She performed the gesture for the Ice Z-Move a second time, the freezing sound being heard. "Z-Move, unleash!" She pointed both arms forward, and a flash of power erupted over her before energy gathered into Keko's body, making her eyes flare up.

 _ **Z-MOVE: SUBZERO SLAMMER**_

Keko howled loudly as another large spire of ice carried her into the air, and she fired another powerful beam of freezing energy to freeze the ground before encasing Nebby. The ice sprouted many spikes before cracking violently, and a powerful explosion reduced the ice to freezing mist, inflicting heavy damage to Nebby in spite of his Steel-Type. Keko landed from atop the fading spire and saw Nebby slowly stumble out of the mist, his steps weary and breathing heavy. The Legendary's head drooped as his legs shook… but he quickly stomped one paw forward, letting out a defiant roar and refusing to go down. "Wow… After all that, Nebby's still going on…"

"He learned it from you, after all." Elliot told her. "Nebby wanted to be strong in case he had to protect you one day. Like me, you never gave up on him… and now, he won't give up until the very end." Hearing this made a few tears come to Lillie's eyes. Even though she hadn't managed a victory with that move, seeing the true extent of her young one's growth made her feel as proud as both a Trainer and a person as ever. "You gave us a good battle, Lillie… but I'm afraid this is where it ends. Ready, Nebby?" The Solgaleo nodded as its third eye opened once more, causing a small crystal to float into view: A bright orange Z-Crystal with smaller crystals on the edges, the mark of the Sunne emblazoned upon it.

"So this is it… Nebby's own Z-Move…" Lillie breathed.

"Crystal of Pokemon power, awakened by our bond…" Elliot chanted as he moved his arms alongside the flash of light from his Ring, but then, he beat his fists together twice, the sound of metal clanking being heard. "Z-Move, unleash!" He pointed both arms forward with another clank sound as energy gathered into Nebby's body, causing his third eye to open again before he returned to Radiant Sun Phase, roaring loudly.

 _ **Z-MOVE: SEARING SUNRAZE SMASH**_

With a flash of his eyes, an Ultra Wormhole was torn in space, Nebby charging forward before leaping into it, the wormhole closing behind him. However, higher up in the arena, another Wormhole opened again, and Nebby merged before creating another facsimile of the sun like he did for Sunsteel Strike, only much stronger and brighter, the beacon bearing down on Keko. Charging down the beacon once more, Nebby flipped around and went into a continuous somersault, the light covering his body and turning the somersaulting lion into a spinning orb of solar energy. Keko braced herself as the orb beared down on her, but when he struck, the Solgaleo engulfed her in the energy before striking her numerous times in the span of seconds. Leaping out of the orb with a roar, Nebby landed back on the field as the orb gave a brilliant explosion like a supernova, bathing the nighttime arena with light. "Amazing…" Lillie couldn't help but say, in awe of the spectacle from the attack. The light finally died down as Nebby turned around to see what happened, and sure enough, Keko had been defeated by the powerful Z-Move of the Sunne, her eyes full of spirals as her tails draped back over his body.

Rotom himself had been rendered silent by the incredible attack, but when he regained his composure, he pointed to Nebby. "That's it! Keko the Ninetales has fainted! Nebby the Solgaleo winzzzzzzz the Z-Move showdown! The Champion Elliot wins the battle and retains his title!"

Nebby roared in triumph as Elliot ran over to him, petting his mane. "That was amazing, Nebby! All of those attacks, and you came out on top!" The Solgaleo nuzzled him happily, even giving him a big lick that actually lifted Elliot off the ground briefly, and despite being a lion, Elliot could swear he heard purring coming from him.

Lillie, however, walked over to Keko, who was starting to stir, and knelt down beside her. The Ninetales let out a small cry as if apologizing, but Lillie shook her head with a smile and petted her. "You did great, Keko. Even if you didn't win, I'm proud of you for all you did." Keko moved to lick her hand, making her laugh.

"That was an incredible match, Lillie." Elliot said as he, Rotom, and Nebby walked over to her. "You really showed me what Ice-Types can do, and how strong you've become-" He cut himself off, though, as he saw something on her face: Tears. A quiet sob was heard from her, making Elliot and Nebby uneasy, a quizzical grunt coming from the lion. "Lillie? Are you OK?"

The girl sniffled a bit. "Yeah… I'm OK…" Getting to her feet, Lillie approached Elliot before suddenly hugging him, making him blush from the surprise. "I'm just… really happy. I'm so happy that… I could give you such a good battle. You gave me that Z-Power Ring for Christmas… so I wanted to give back to you on Christmas when I got the chance." She pulled back from the hug to look at him, wiping some of the tears from her eyes. "To give you a chance to see how strong I'd become."

Elliot smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Lillie. It may not officially be Christmas yet, but it was one of the best gifts I could've gotten." Nebby grunted in approval, nuzzling Lillie as she moved to hug him as well.

Rotom acted as though he was wiping a tear from his eyes at the heartwarming sight before floating out of Elliot's coat pocket, getting their attention. "Elliot, it izzzzz approximately 9 PM now. We should head back home so we can be ready for the Iki Town Christmazzzzzz Festival tomorrow."

"Yeah, good idea." Elliot replied before looking at Lillie. "Are you staying at Professor Kukui's house again, Lillie?"

"Yeah, but if you don't mind, could I come over to your house for a while? I want to catch up after all these years."

"No problem at all. If push comes to shove, you can even stay in the guest room for the night. I don't think Mom would mind."

"Thank you… for everything. Merry Christmas, Elliot."

"Merry Christmas, Lillie." The two teens looked at their Pokemon, who nodded before they were recalled, Rotom returning to Elliot's coat pocket, and they both descended the stairs from the arena to the elevator below, as the crystal ceiling seemed to glisten like an aurora on this Christmas Eve night.

* * *

 **Vile: Bet you didn't expect Lillie to be the Ice specialist, did you? I am aware that Lillie's been given more of a leaning toward Fairy-Types in recent media, but I honestly always thought Ice fit her more: Like her, it's beautiful, graceful, and delicate, but it'll fuck you up if you're not careful.**

 **Keko: Vul vul!**

 **Vile: Heh heh, yeah, Keko, I snuck in a reference to you in the fic. Since this isn't anime Lillie, I couldn't call the Ninetales "Snowy", but I kinda envisioned her Ninetales as what you'd be like once you evolve. *Keko licks my hand* Glad you like it, girl. It feels good to get another story out, so I hope you all liked my little Christmas gift to you. If you did, leave a review for me! I've got another little project of mine already slated, so keep an eye open for it. Ja ne for now, and Merry Christmas!**

 **Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


End file.
